The 2000s began a new era of Pacific Northwest Ballet history with the retirement of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell and the hiring of Peter Boal as artistic director. In many ways, the PNB that audiences know and love today took shape during the 2000s. Read on to learn about this influential decade!
There’s something about George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With fairies, fireflies, Bottom, and Puck, playwright William Shakespeare and choreographer George Balanchine offer us a winning combination of joy, laughter, and ebullience.
The three works presented in this program span the same lifetime as our Company. George Balanchine’s Duo Concertant, one of 34 offerings in a landmark […]
The three works presented in this program span the same lifetime as our Company. George Balanchine’s Duo Concertant, one of 34 offerings in a landmark […]Artistic Director’s Notebook: Duo Concertant, Catching Feelings, The Seasons’ Canon
Guess who’s turning fifty? Not me, that happened already. It’s PNB. In 1972, a small but committed group of extraordinary individuals envisioned a great classical ballet company based here […]
Doctor, nurse, social worker, scientist, esthetician, aerialist–just a few of the professions our dancers have embraced after retiring from the company. Emotions at PNB’s Season Encore run high as we recognize departing dancers for their myriad contributions to the company, while mourning the fact they will […]
Jahna Frantziskonis strutted casually across the studio floor on pointe while tapping her left palm with her right index finger.
“Twyla, is she texting?” I asked “…on pointe?” Twyla nodded. “I think you’re the first person to choreograph […]
Swan Lake defines a classical ballet company. It offers the epitome of cohesion for a corps de ballet, the apex of artistry for principal dancers, a challenge and a triumph for an orchestra, and an opportunity to lay claim to greatness. It certainly helped to […]
The words “ballet” and “gender-fluid” don’t often appear in the same sentence. In ballet’s early years at the court of Louis XIV, men danced in roles depicting women, but by the 20th century, gender entrenchment had set in. Princes […]
Artistic Director’s Notebook: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ 2021
“This cannon fires cheese,” Mr. Gio explained in a recent battle scene rehearsal for George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, prompting all the nine and ten-year-old Soldiers to giggle uncontrollably.
“What kind of cheese?” asked Soldier Number Seven, […]
It happened. On September 22, the curtain rose, the orchestra played, bejeweled costumes caught the light, and dancers floated. It was exactly as we had witnessed countless times before, and yet, it felt […]